When Michael Philp burnt out from his welfare job several years ago, a friend suggested he try painting as therapy. It was a suggestion that changed his life.

Five years on Michael couldn’t imagine his life without painting, saying the self-expression and stress relief he gets by being creative has helped heal his spirit.

It has also brought him unexpected attention in the art world.

He has sold work privately and through galleries, and is one of 25 Aboriginal artists being included in the soon-to-be-launched book, A Special Kind of Vision, which celebrates local contemporary Indigenous art.

Michael is also one of the artists exhibiting in this weekend’s The Art Of The Bundjalung Nation, a showcase of Aboriginal art designed to generate income for these aspiring artists and enable ongoing opportunities to sell work. A percentage of the profits will go towards mounting further exhibitions.

Michael said when he started painting he “didn’t have a clue” what he was doing but soon found he couldn’t put his paintbrush down.

“I’d have an idea and I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I’d got it on canvas,” he said. “I don’t have any technical skills, I just paint from the heart, and it’s been very healing for me. When I first sold something I thought ‘Wow, what’s going on here? This is freaky!’ It still blows me away every time I sell something.”

It seems this is a common story for many Aboriginal artists, who get profound health benefits from creating art – something exhibition convener Dr Malcolm Tester has seen time and time again.

“Art can often channel a person’s energy into something productive, and they get a tremendous amount of pride from creating a work of art and having members of the public admire it,” he said. “If someone buys an artwork, these artists also get a huge boost to their self-esteem. That can then encourage them to continue creating more art, which can lead to employment and create a really positive cycle.”

Michael, the son of a Bundjalung woman and a white man, grew up in a fairly traditional western-style setting in Tweed Heads and his art is an interesting mix of the traditional and the contemporary, tackling some pretty tough issues. Whether it’s the demise of Aboriginal spirituality through the forced uptake of western religions, the stigma still surrounding homosexuality in Aboriginal communities, crippling alcohol abuse, domestic violence or the constant struggle of Indigenous people to retain their culture while finding a place in modern society, Michael’s work is always thought-provoking.

He said because he wasn’t brought up in a traditional Aboriginal community, he didn’t want to trade on that.

“I didn’t just want to flog paintings with dots. I didn’t grow up having a strong sense of my Aboriginality and I didn’t want to exploit it,” he said. “Some people say my paintings are too controversial, a bit too political or religious, but it’s just my experience and what I see as truth.”

He said the upside is that painting has got his life back on track and rekindled his connection with his Aboriginal roots.

“When I was younger I was violent and I was an alcoholic... my spirit was hurt,” he said. “But painting has helped me tap back into my culture, to that big part of who I am, and reflect on the stories of family and culture and spirituality that my grandmother used to tell me.I feel like my soul has started to heal and I am no longer spiritually asleep.”

Michael said he hoped The Art Of The Bundjalung Nation would encourage more Indigenous artists to be proud of their culture and their art.

“There’s a lot of black fellas around here who would be just be too embarrassed to do it (exhibit art) for themselves, but if we had some regular exhibitions and they saw other people having a go, they would too,” Michael said. “I hope this can inspire some other fellas because exhibiting and selling your work is an amazing buzz.”

The Art Of The Bundjalung Nation is a joint project between Norpa and Gurgun Bulahnggelah (Lismore Aboriginal Health).

Opening night is this Friday, January 23 at 6pm, and the exhibition will then remain on show right through the long weekend (January 24, 25 and 26) from 10am to 4pm daily. Entry is by gold coin.